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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23603848">Forgiveness. Can you imagine?</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/curlspen/pseuds/curlspen'>curlspen</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Gotham (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fix-It of Sorts, M/M, Pre-Laughing Toxin Jeremiah Valeska</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-03 01:35:56</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>791</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23603848</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/curlspen/pseuds/curlspen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Jerome had every intention to punish Jeremiah when he found him, but he never could stay mad at Miah. </p><p>(My first of many attempts at Twinleska, feedback is very much appreciated)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jeremiah Valeska &amp; Jerome Valeska, Jeremiah Valeska/Jerome Valeska</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>82</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Forgiveness. Can you imagine?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Why did you do it? Why, why, why did you leave me?” Jerome pins Jeremiah harder against his desk, making the smaller twin cry out. “Tell me! I’ve been waiting to know for fifteen fucking years, tell me!”</p><p>With one more harsh shove, Jeremiah’s words start to spill out of him and they don’t stop.</p><p>“I don’t know! I don’t remember! I - I was just a kid too, Jerome, and it all happened so quickly I - I was scared of you and mom wouldn’t listen, she wouldn’t do anything, so I said the worst thing I could think of - just trying, I just wanted to make her hear me - and then the next thing I knew Uncle Zach came in the middle of the night and took me away and I couldn’t say no to him or explain... and then it was too late. I didn’t know how it happened, I didn’t really mean for it to but maybe I did...” </p><p>Jerome’s grip loosens throughout Jeremiah’s confession, not enough for Jeremiah to get away but enough for him to breathe easier.</p><p>“I hated it there, Jay. You know that. I’m not - I’m not as strong as you, and they terrified me - Uncle Zach and mother and... I didn’t think I could survive it. So I didn’t even try to come back, and I left you there because I thought you were strong enough.” Jeremiah’s sob contorts his body so violently that Jerome moves with him. “I’m sorry, Jay. I’m so sorry, I should have stayed with you. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, please don’t hate me.” </p><p>“I don’t hate you, Miah. I love you. I couldn’t stop loving you if I tried. Do you hate me?” </p><p>“No.” Jeremiah sobs.</p><p>Jerome shushes his brother, peppering kisses on his cheek as he cries. He came here to punish Jeremiah, but now Jerome can see they’ve both been punished enough and all he feels is an overwhelming urge to comfort his twin like they used to when they were small. </p><p>“Where’s your bed, baby-bro?” He asks after a few moments, brushing the hair off Jeremiah’s flushed forehead while still pining him down with the other arm.</p><p>“There’s a hidden door on that far wall, the third book on the second shelf opens it.”</p><p>“Nerd.” Jerome chuckles, then sniffles. “Okay, I’m gonna let you go to open the door. Don’t. Move. I love you, but you ever run away from me again, I’ll break your legs. Got it?” </p><p>Jeremiah nods timidly, eyes staring blankly at the floor and his body still trembling with the aftershocks of sobs.</p><p>Jerome’s arm feel impossibly cold when he pries it away from Jeremiah. He runs and opens the door as quickly as possible, running back to grab Jeremiah as soon he sees it starts to open. Jeremiah hadn’t moved an inch, he was still staring at the floor and shaking as if he didn’t know where he was anymore.</p><p>Jerome forgot how fragile his brother was, he’d have to be more gentle, but he was never good at that. Still, he tries to be as he wraps an arm around him and leads him, swaying and staggering like a drunk, still staring into nothingness.</p><p>Jerome lays Jeremiah on the twin bed - how perfect - and quickly tied Jeremiah’s wrists to the nice, sturdy bedpost with some rope he had with him. Jeremiah doesn’t protest, probably because he’s still in shock or whatever this is, Jerome is sure he’ll start whining about it later though.</p><p>Jerome crawls into the bed and wraps his body around Jeremiah’s. He tenses up at first, yelping a bit as if he’d forgotten Jerome was there until he touched him, but after a few moments Jeremiah relaxes into the distantly familiar embrace of his brother. For a moment, it’s like no time has passed at all and somehow that makes it easier for Jerome to whisper his own confession into Jeremiah’s ear.</p><p>“I’m sorry too, Miah. I never meant to hurt you. I just wanted to keep you close to me, I wanted to love you and you wouldn’t let me. I’m sorry that I scared you.” Jerome says and he means it. Jerome squeezes his brother tighter. “I love you so much. So fucking much. I love you, I love you, I love you,” </p><p>“I love you too, Jay.” </p><p>Jerome smiles almost as wide as his scars. That had always worked when they were kids. Jeremiah was always too shy to say it first, so Jerome would wrap his arms around him, not letting him go and saying it over and over until Jeremiah gave in “I love you too, Jay.”</p><p>Jerome falls asleep smiling with Jeremiah back in his arms, just as it should be.</p>
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